1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to improvements in attachment mechanisms for attaching objects to hard surfaces, and more particularly pertains to new and improved connectors wherein the connector attaches a fastener to a bracket prior to the fastener being driven into the hard surface by a powder charge setting tool.
2. Description of Related Art
In the field of attachment mechanisms for fasteners driven by powder charged setting tools, it has been the practice to employ a connector member which attaches to a bracket by a leading end interference fit with a hole in the bracket. The trailing end of the connector member is mounted on the piercing end of a nail like fastener. The connector provides an expendable temporary connection between the nail fastener and the bracket to be fastened prior to driving the fastener into the supporting surface and securing the bracket. One example of such a device can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,028,986 granted Jun. 14, 1977 to Richard J. Beton.
Because of stability problems during the drive cycle associated with the kind of connector described in the Beton patent, others have attempted to solve these problems by adding a plastic foot to the connector to increase the surface area of the connector that contacts the hard surface into which the fastening element is driven. An example of this type of attachment member is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,624,220 granted Apr. 29, 1997 to Janssen et al. The solution described in Janssen et al. adds a separate element to the attachment member, increasing complexity and cost while not solving all problems associated with these devices. All the prior art connector devices have a problem of the constituent part separating during shipment. That is, the nail comes loose from the connector, and the connector comes loose from the bracket. This creates undesired labor time in the field required to assemble the parts. The present application overcomes these problems.